RFK Jr Accused of Endangering Public Health, Fired CDC Director’s Lawyers Claim
Susan Monarez was removed from her role as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention without explanation, her legal team stated.
“First, independent advisory committees and experienced professionals were sidelined. Then, respected scientists were dismissed. Now, Secretary Kennedy and HHS are leveraging public health for political purposes, jeopardizing millions of lives,” attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe David Lowell said in a social media post.
“When CDC Director Susan Monarez rejected unsupported directives and refused to terminate committed health experts, she prioritized public safety over political interests. As a result, she became a target. Dr. Monarez has not resigned, nor has she been formally notified of her dismissal by the White House. As a scientist of integrity, she will not step down.”
“This goes beyond one individual,” the lawyers continued. “It reflects the deliberate weakening of public health institutions, the suppression of expertise, and the harmful politicization of science. Dr. Monarez’s removal serves as a caution to all Americans: our evidence-based frameworks are being eroded internally.”
The Department of Health and Human Services provided no justification when it announced in an unsigned online statement that Monarez, confirmed by the Senate as CDC director only last month, had been removed from her position.
Anonymous sources, fearing retaliation, told *CuriosityNews* that Monarez had opposed major alterations to the agency’s expert advisory panel on vaccine policy, changes pushed by Donald Trump’s health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his anti-vaccine stance.
An administration official informed *CuriosityNews* that Kennedy summoned Monarez to his office Monday, demanding her resignation. When she refused, she contacted Dr. Bill Cassidy, the Republican head of the Senate health committee. Kennedy then accused her of leaking information and stated she would be fired.
Shortly before her departure, Kennedy praised the Food and Drug Administration’s decision to revoke emergency use authorization for Covid-19 vaccines by Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax—vaccines the CDC estimates saved 3.2 million American lives.
Now, the FDA only permits these vaccines for individuals aged 65 and older or younger people with specific medical risks. Even eligible individuals may only receive the shots if Kennedy’s reconfigured advisory panel, which includes opponents of Covid vaccines, votes to allow them.
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